Care Aide Training: Navigating Challenges with Early Onset Alzheimer's

Right at Home Care Aides learn how to Navigate Challenges with Early-Onset Alzheimer’s.

On April 30th at the Right at Home office in Burbank, Right at Home care aides came together to learn about caregiving to individuals who are often overlooked when discussing Alzheimer’s disease – people who are not defined as elderly. Co-hosted by the American Society on Aging and presented by Dr. Diane Darby Beach, Right at Home caregivers gained valuable insight into working and caring for this vulnerable part of our society. Dr. Darby Beach is a gerontologist with 28 years of experience in public health and elder care.

Contrary to popular belief, Alzheimer’s is not a disease specific to seniors. Early-onset Alzheimer’s can appear in people under the age of 65. In fact, about 5 percent of Alzheimer’s patients fall into this category. The 1-hour seminar provided an overview of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, followed by information on the challenges patients and caregivers face with a diagnosis and care, including financial, legal and social issues. Aides in attendance learned how to define early on-set Alzheimer’s and describe the challenges associated with early-onset not typically seen with late-onset Alzheimer’s. At the end of the presentation, a question and open forum period ensued.

After the formal seminar concluded, Right at Home client care manager Janelle Woods continued the discussion, with caregivers identifying past challenges they’ve had with Alzheimer’s patients they care for and dispensing ideas and advice on how to handle difficult situations. It’s these kind of informative, interactive trainings that Right at Home provides it’s care aides continuously throughout the year to assure that at Right at Home, we are always providing the Right People with the Right Skills to provide the Right Care for the Right Reasons.

Right at Home’s RightCare Dementia and Cognitive Support program provides specialized dementia and cognitive support for the client and their family.  To learn more about the American Society on Aging, visit www.asaging.org.